Proverbs chapter 29
Today we are walking in: Do What You Were Born to Do
Habakkuk 2:2
And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
VISION
Today we look to the word VISION- H2377 chazown- vision(in ecstatic state), visions (in night), oracle, prophecy (divine communication), vision (as title of book of prophecy) from H2372; a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle:—vision. to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide, to see, behold, to see as a seer in the ecstatic state, to see, perceive with the intelligence, to see (by experience), to provide
The Torah testifies........
Numbers 24:4
He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision H2377 of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
Numbers 24:16
He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision H2377 of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
The prophets proclaim.........
1 Samuel 3:1
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days;there was no open vision H2377.
Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision H2377 and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
The writings bear witness.........
1 Chronicles 17:15
According to all these words, and according to all this vision H2377, so did Nathan speak unto David.
Psalm 89:19
Then thou spakest in vision H2377 to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Do What You Were Born to Do
Vision protects you from trying to do everything. The apostle Paul had a deep love and concern for the Jews. He wrote in Romans 9:3–4, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Hamachiach for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” However, Paul knew that Yah hadn’t called him to be an apostle to the Jews. They were his people, he was born from among them, and he was one of them, yet his purpose was to preach to the Gentiles: “For this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles” (1 Timothy 2:7). He knew what he was appointed for, and he stayed in his vision. Paul’s vision was his motivating force: “I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome” (Romans 1:15).
Perhaps we become involved in too many things because we’re trying to impress Yah and other people by showing them how much we are capable of doing. Yet we must remember that our gifts are the key to fulfilling our visions. If we spend time on things that we’re not as gifted in, we will wear ourselves down to the point that, when we come back to our gifts, we are too tired to use them effectively.
Yahusha Himself was born to do one main thing. He knew why He was manifested, and He kept His eyes completely fixed on His vision. He came to testify to the truth of Yah’s kingdom and His plan of redemption for humankind and to die on the cross to accomplish that redemption.
At one point, one of Yahusha’ closest friends tried to talk Him out of His vision. Peter said, in essence, “Master, You’re talking about how You’re going to die and how they’re going to destroy You. Listen, I’m Your friend, so let me tell You something: ‘This shall never happen to you!’ (Matthew 16:22).” In other words, Peter was saying, “I don’t want my Friend to die. If any man attempts to attack Him, he will first have to go through me!” Those sound like the words of a true friend, don’t they? Peter wasn’t saying anything bad, but it wasn’t right based on Yahusha’ vision. Even your friends can be dangerous when they distract you from your dream. We have to realize that our enemy will try to use those nearest to us to divert us from the right path. Yahusha rebuked the real threat that was behind Peter’s statement when He said, “Get behind me, Satan!” (v. 23). Likewise, we must recognize the enemy’s tactics when he works through those closest to us.
Vision Disciplines Your Choices
Vision is the key to an effective life because when you see your destination, it helps you to discipline your life in ways that train, prepare, and provide for your vision.
Proverbs 29:18 is often quoted but not fully understood: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (kjv). The word in the Hebrew for “perish” means “to throw off constraints.” If you don’t have vision, then there are no real restraints in your life. Yet, when you have vision, you are able to say no with dignity. The New International Version reads, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” The use of the words “revelation” and “restraint” is very significant because the verse may be interpreted as meaning, “Where there is no vision, the people throw off self-control.” You will never be disciplined in your life until you have real vision.
How disciplined is your own life in relation to your dream? Ask yourself questions such as these:
What am I using my energies on? What are you putting your heart and soul into? Is it worth it, based on your purpose? Where am I investing my money? Your vision dictates where you put your resources. Are you buying things that are more expensive than you can afford and that you don’t need? Are you so much in debt that you can’t channel your money toward fulfilling the vision in your heart?
What movies and television programs am I watching? If you know where you are going, you will choose to watch things that are related to your vision because you want to invest that time in your future.
What books am I reading? Is what you’re reading helping or hindering you? For example, if all you’re reading is romance novels, you are living in a fantasy and not your true dream. You could be reading something that helps you in the knowledge or skills you need to fulfill your vision.
What hobbies am I pursuing? You can choose to play games that prepare you for what you were born to do.
What am I taking into my body? There are talented, gifted people who are dying prematurely because they consistently eat food that isn’t good for them.
If you’re going to make it to the end of your vision, you must take care of your health. Your vision may take twenty years to be fulfilled, so you need to start eating right and taking vitamins now. If you neglect your health, you will be more susceptible to sickness, and by the time you are halfway to your vision, you may be too ill to complete it (or no longer here).
What am I risking? Are you abusing alcohol, drugs, or sex? If so, they could easily short-circuit your vision. For example, if you are a young woman who is being pressured into having premarital sex, think about how that might affect the fulfillment of your life’s dream. Will it be easier to fulfill your goal if you have a baby out of wedlock or are infected with a sexually transmitted disease? If a young man starts to touch you inappropriately, tell him, “You are interfering with my future. Take me home right now.” You must protect your vision.
What is my attitude toward life? If you know where you’re going, you can keep your attitude positive. When things go wrong, you can say, “That’s okay. This is only temporary. I know where my true destination is.” Paul said we should discipline our thoughts to think about what will build us up: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Choose to live well. Associate with people and be involved in things that are conducive to your dream.
“I Am Carrying on a Great Project”
Nehemiah made a statement that I believe everyone with vision should learn to make. It’s one of the greatest statements of priority that I have ever read, either in the Bible, history, or anywhere else. Nehemiah was at a place where he had started to rebuild the wall. He had motivated the people by giving them a renewed purpose, he was able to communicate to them the necessity of doing this great project, and they were working hard at it. Yet, in Nehemiah 6:1, he was confronted by three
men who wanted to prevent his vision from being fulfilled. Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem were professional distracters. In Nehemiah 6:2, Nehemiah said, “Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: ‘Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.’ But they were scheming to harm me.” Ono seems like the perfect name for this situation. I imagine that’s exactly what Nehemiah was thinking: “Oh, no.” These men were saying, “Let’s meet and discuss what you’re doing,” when, in reality, they wanted to have a council with him in order to trap him and stop the work.
In verse three, Nehemiah said, “So I sent messengers to them with this reply: ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’” Nehemiah was saying, “Look, if I do what you want me to do, I will be distracted from what I have purposed to do.” He refused to come down from the wall, and his enemies were thwarted. That’s what I call a man who had his priorities set.
Make Your Life Count
If you are afraid to take decisive action to move toward your vision, consider this: It is better to make a decision that will prove to be wrong, but which you can learn from, than not to make any decision at all and never learn anything. Someone has said, “I’d rather try and fail than never try and never know I could succeed.” People who succeed try. People who don’t try have no chance of success.
Your destination is so perfect for you that Yah doesn’t want you to end up anywhere else. He wants you to find your vision and purpose and stay focused on it. If you have gotten off track in life, it doesn’t matter how young or old you are: Refocus on your vision and make decisions that will lead you there. Say to Yah, “I know I haven’t made the best use of my time, gifts, and resources in the past, but I’m going to make the rest of my life count.”
Action Steps to Fulfilling Vision
Write out priorities in each area of your life in relation to your vision.
What things do you need to eliminate from your life in order to focus on your dream?
Chapter Principles
1. If you want to be successful, you must set priorities for yourself in relation to your vision.
2. Understanding priority will help you accomplish your dream because priority is the key to effective decision-making.
3. You can tell the kind of life you’re going to have in the future by the decisions you are making today.
4. Yes and no are the most powerful words you will ever say. Yah wants you to be able to say them with precision because they will determine your destiny.
5. When people don’t succeed in their visions, it is often because they don’t understand that prioritizing creates useful limits on their choices.
6. You have to determine what is beneficial, and you have to define what is beneficial based on the needs of your vision.
7. The only things that should master you are the things that will take you to your goal.
8. Once you are certain of where you are meant to go in life and have truly committed to it, then many extraneous things in your life will fall away on their own.
9. The vision itself decides what is good for you. You don’t just do good things. You do things that are good for your vision.
10. Your greatest challenge is not in choosing between good or bad but between good and best.
11. We end up where we don’t really want to be when we take our eyes off the mark.
12. Vision protects you from trying to do everything.
13. When you see your destination, it helps you to discipline your life in ways that train, prepare, and provide for your vision.
14. You will never be disciplined in your life until you have real vision.
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